BY: Denver Sean
Published 10 years ago
Good Internet memes are probably one of the best things to come from the age of social media — however, not everyone always finds them funny — especially if a popular meme features a picture of your child.
You may have seen the below meme of a little girl being compared to a leprechaun make its way around the Internet.
Well, her mother doesn’t think it’s funny. At all.
She’s speaking out against the meme (and Instagram cyber bullies), letting everyone know that her two-year-old has a rare disorder that affects her appearance, learning abilities and motor skills.
via PEOPLE:
Mariah Anderson recently celebrated her second birthday in Summerville, South Carolina, and was all smiles throughout the occasion, reports WCBD. So when the girl’s mother, Kyra Pringle, shared a shot online from her beaming daughter’s big day, she never imagined there would be a negative reaction.
Anderson was born with Chromosome 2p duplication syndrome, a condition that has affected her development and physical appearance. Unfortunately, when some Instagram users saw Pringle’s picture of her daughter, they did not celebrate the toddler, but teased her.
Several users posted memes using Pringle’s photo that poked fun at the toddler’s looks, insinuating that Anderson was ugly or resembled a leprechaun. Sick of seeing her baby girl being bullied by online trolls, Pringle decided to speak out against everyone making the memes and those enjoying them.
“The smile that you guys think is funny or the smile that you guys are comparing to a leprechaun,” the mom told WCBD. “The things you guys are saying about my child, she’s not a monster, she’s real.”
Pringle hopes her words will help put an end to the harassment so she and her family can return to enjoying their time with Anderson which, because of her condition, could be limited.
“She’s just a joy, it’s a joy to have her right now,” said Kyra Pringle.
It’s unfortunate that people have turned her daughter’s picture into an Internet joke. However, when we choose to post personal pictures of in a public space, it’s impossible to control what happens to them. It’s just a sign of the times we live in.